Italy Strips Some Gay Couples of Parental Recognition

ROME—Michela Leidi became a mother last summer when her wife gave birth to their daughter Giulia. The couple was swept up in the joyful, sleepless whirlwind of early parenthood.

This month, a local court ordered Ms. Leidi’s name to be erased from Giulia’s birth certificate on the grounds that her inclusion was “contrary to public order.” The ruling, which left the baby with only one legal parent, her biological mother, was a headline-generating surprise in Italy but is part of a growing trend of moves against same-sex parents by Italy’s courts and government.